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Saturday, 25 September 2010

I'm back in Birmingham. After an epic day that involved the quickest drive down ever, two supermarkets, a trip to Homebase, many antibacterial wipes (there was so much dust!), paracetamol and a very nice smoked salmon I am finally curled up in my new bed in my new room between new sheets wearing new PJs :D At the moment, life seems good.

Not so much this morning though. I really didn't want to leave. All summer, up until we turned off the M6 and I saw Birmingham again, I haven't felt like I'd be coming back. In my head the summer just stretched on indefinately. I think that's why I haven't been feeling nervous or excited or anything really, because I couldn't/wouldn't acknowledge the fact that I'd be in this position again. The psychological reasons for that can be left to another time. But then I saw the slip road into Birmingham that, for some obscure reason, doesn't have a central reservation and it hit me. That's when the stomach started with the flip flops.

Then we got here. And the house wasn't as bad as Mum expected it to be. It was also a lot cleaner than I remembered, which is definately a positive. Every room has been painted, the carpets have either been changed or cleaned really, really well and I haven't seen a single bug (yet). My room, however, is about a third of the size it used to be. And my wardrobe hasn't got a door. And there are no curtains at the window (which is right at my head) only a blind. And it's cold, but that's a given. But we're focussing on the positives, at least for now.

In other news: I am a single (medic's) mum. My wife/sister is no longer in the Mums/Dads scheme for "personal reasons". I think she's having to externally resit, because she's still living in Birmingham, but I'm not certain. If she is then she's the 5th person I've heard of who's having to do that. One girl from my M-group failed an essay so she has to wait a whole year, and pay full fees, just to re-write it. But I'm still here and, in addition to being a second year medic, I am now also a single mum to three (first year) girls. Told you life was complicated.

Tuesday, 14 September 2010

I shouldn't be awake now. It's too early. But the Brother and the Mother both woke me up by being insanely loud in the bathroom and, for some reason, my ear plugs have stopped working. But it's good practice for going back to uni, which I'm doing in 11 days!!!!! I think the excitement is beginning to set in, although the medical school is still being oddly quiet for an administrative department. List of things I still need to buy:

a mirror

a bin (my landlord doesn't seem to provide anything)

a draft excluder

Redbush tea bags

pyjamas

extra socks (learning from last year - it snows way more in Brum than it does where I live)

food

Because of the list I need to go into town. But I can't. Because the Brother ordered a new XBox game that comes out today but won't be here until at least Wednesday and he needs me to sign for it. Do you know what this means? - he's going to be uber miserable until it comes and somehow - not sure how but just somehow - it's all going to be my fault. The joys of home life. Still, it doesn't make me want to leave, especially when he told me last week that he'll miss me. :)

Friday, 3 September 2010

Finally, after 11 weeks of silence, I heard from the medical school. It was an e-mail, and not a MedSoc bulletin one where the only important news seems to be the swim sessions for the people living in Birmingham. It was from the office, reminding us to remember to pick up our kids.

*Pause*

Every time I've said that to someone, especially non-medics, they've looked at me like I've had a boil the size of Canada on my nose. It makes me laugh. Don't worry, I'm not pregnant. Nor have I ever been pregnant. The kids I'm referring to are my first years - Birmingham runs a Mums and Dads mentoring scheme.

Every medic is in a Personal Mentor (PM) group with one or two others from their year - your siblings. The second years are your parents, third year are your grandparents etc etc. It's your medic family. When you get to second year you become parents yourselves, in what has to be one of the most incestuous relationships of all time - my sister is now also my wife. We're a lesbian couple; we have lesbian parents as well. I suppose that says something about the male:female ratio at medical school. It's funny because you'll be talking to someone and they'll mention their Mum and you have to clarify which Mum they mean - medic or real. Anyway I have to be at the medical school between 8 and 8.30 on the morning of Tuesday 28th September. Monday will be the first Gatecrasher night of the new academic year - it'll be interesting to see who turns up still drunk :DReading: the Harry Potter books. Again. The film comes out in November :)